TI-Estonia will be seeking ways to help develop codes of business ethics on a sectoral basis. This was a key finding at the Baltic-Nordic conference “Against corruption with business ethics“, organised by TI-Estonia in co-operation with partners from the region’s TI chapters.
Participants in the conference, which took place on April 8 in Tallinn, stressed the fact that Nordic experience shows how vital it is for a company to have a code of business ethics. It helps improve transparency of the company and its activities. Several speakers said its is not always useful to have one general code of business ethics that involves all sectors of the economy. Instead, separate and specifically tailored codes of business ethics are a better way. For example, codes for the forest industry, real estate, banking, farmaceutical industry etc.
The 50 participants in the conference included representatives of various business associations, members of Transparency International’s national chapters in the Baltic-Nordic region, representatives of the state and various associations from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Norway. The goal of the conference was to analyse the state of business ethics in Estonia and all of the region. Participants shared their experience in the application of business ethics.
The opening speech was made Estonian Minister of Justice Rein Lang. Other key speakers from Estonia included Siim Raie, Director General of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Tarmo Kriis, Managing Director of the Association of Employers and Industry.